BELLVILLE — The Clear Fork Valley Local school board has approved a $25,000 settlement with a former employee who alleged he was discriminated against based on his age.
Jeff McBride, a retired Richland County Sheriff’s Department officer, was employed by the district as a drug prevention officer at the middle and high school from 2013 to 2025.
McBride was employed each school year on a one-year limited contract, according to records from his personnel file. He was not given a contract for the 2025-2026 school year.
He filed a charge of discrimination against the district with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission earlier this year.
In that filing, he alleged various claims in connection with his employment at the district, including claims of age discrimination, retaliation and discriminatory discharge/termination, according to the settlement.
Richland Source was unable to contact McBride or confirm his age; however, the resume in his personnel file states he graduated high school in 1980.
Per the terms of the agreement, Clear Fork will pay McBride $25,000 as “a full and final settlement of claims.”
That payment includes $7,440 for alleged lost wages, an equal amount for alleged emotional distress and a $10,120 check payable to Spitz Law Firm for McBride’s attorney fees.
The school system disputed McBride’s claims by way of the agreement, which states neither party admits liability in the matter.
“This agreement is made simply as a compromise of disputed claims to avoid further costs of future litigation,” the agreement read.
After McBride, Clear Fork hired a school resource officer through Richland County Sheriff’s Office
McBride worked for the Richland County Sheriff’s Office from 1982 to 2013, starting as a part-time dispatcher and book-in officer and working his way up to road patrol supervisor.
From 1988 to 2010, he was a detective sergeant on special assignment working with Richland County Children Services to assist in child abuse investigations.
McBride retired from the RCSO in May 2013. Just a few days later, he became an auxiliary/reserve police officer with the Bellville Police Department, according to a resume in his personnel file.
Chief Jon Fletcher of the Bellville Police Department confirmed McBride was an auxiliary officer there. He said McBride’s work at the high school was unrelated and not through a contract with the department.
The department contracts with Clear Fork for a resource officer at Bellville Elementary, but not at the middle and high school, Fletcher said. That’s because the middle and high school building is not located within the Bellville Police Department’s jurisdiction, but the jurisdiction of the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.
Contracts in McBride’s personnel file show he was employed on a part-time basis during the 2017-2018 school year at 15 hours a week. That number increased to 28.75 hours per week during the 2021-2022 school year and 32.5 hours per week during the following year.
He was earning $20 an hour during the 2024-2025 school year, according to his contract.
McBride received consistent positive evaluations from supervisors at Clear Fork High School, including former assistant principal Shawn Ramion and current principal Jennifer Klaus.
His most recent evaluation, completed by Klaus in April 2025, referenced the evolving role of a “school resource specialist” and the expectation that moving forward, McBride would be more “visible” and present with students.
Klaus noted McBride spent a significant amount of time “on cameras” and encouraged him to help with classroom presentations on topics like drug use, personal safety, online safety and how to act during a traffic stop.
The same evaluation also referenced job duties typically associated with a school resource officer, such as monitoring the front door, conducting a daily walk through of the property and providing security as needed.
Clear Fork did not rehire McBride for the 2025-2026 school year.
The school board approved an agreement with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office to employ a school resource officer at the middle and high school in August 2025, according to a meeting agenda on the district’s website.
Richland Source left a request for comment from McBride through his attorney, but did not receive a response in time for publication. Clear Fork Supt. Cody Reese declined to comment for this story.
